By Dennis Agbo

THE Division 8 of Enugu Police Criminal Investigation Department, CID, is presently on top of crises which have trailed collection of Amechi Awkunanaw Development levy in Enugu south local government area which resulted in hospitalization of 37 years old Chidiebere Nnamani.

Nnamani who escaped being lynched is now recuperating in a hospital where doctors are battling to save his life from artery cuts on his head with other server injuries on other parts of his body.

When Sunday visited him in the hospital, Nnamnai narrated that he ran into a group of hoodlums, on the prowl of collecting the “illegal” community development levy who almost assassinated him when he interfered in their mission.

Nnamnai who said he was a member of the Amechi community task force for collection of the development levy, narrated that on April 6 2020, a landlord of the property located off Meniru street Awkunanaw Enugu, called him to verify if his attackers who had gone to collect N100,000 development levy for the property were genuine collectors.

He said that he drove to the property to find one Amaechi Nkwuo and Sunday Nnamani whom he pleaded with to allow Mrs. Owoh fix her damaged old building blown off by a windstorm.

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“As I was discussing with Mrs. Owoh and Prof Nnamani, some boys came to the place and they surrounded me with cutlass, Axes, bottles and guns. They started beating and hitting me with the head of the axes and cutlass. As they were beating me, I fell on the ground, then Mr. Amaechi Nkwuo stabbed me with a broken bottle on my head, neck and legs until I passed out,” he narrated.

Nnamnai further alleged that his attacked who also damaged and vandalized his car on the process of their assault on him, told him that some leaders of the community, including the President General, Mr. John Egbo instructed them to eliminate him anywhere they saw him.

He went on to narrate that the issue he has with the community leaders was because he decided to pull out from land racketeering which he alleged the community leaders had been using him as their proxy.

Nnamnai said that Mr. Egbo’s tenure as the President General of the community expired on December 29 2019 but has refused to step down for a fresh election to be conducted.

He said that the community leaders want him dead because “I have the detailed fact and information as regards the financial embezzlement from illegal sales of community land which they believe I will disclose the information to the community.”

He further said that another reason some of his community members want him dead was because he petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, about the community’s messy land and development deals.

On his own side, the President General of the community, Mr. John Egbo said there have been many petitions against Chidiebere Nnamani from his kindred, the community and other members of the public whom Nnamani allegedly made land deals with.

Egbo who presented some documents alleged that Nnamani uses fake receipts to collect development levies from unsuspecting members of the public residing in the community’s land.

Egbo further alleged that there was a cabal in the community that uses Nnamani to perpetuate land racketeering, which his leadership uncovered and has recovered parts of the land.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe said the matter was still under investigation.

Vanguard